What a great guest post to start off 2019! I love that Rachelle Savitz and her graduate student, Donna Confere have taken their time to prepare this post during their break. The post reminds us that there is so much to do with YA adult literature that goes beyond sharing it with preservice teachers and getting it into the hands of adolescents. Take it away.
YA is Not Just for Young Adults Anymore: How a YA Class Changed Perspectivesby Rachelle S. Savitz and Donna Confere
This past semester, three Clemson doctoral students and I taught an Honors Seminar in which non-education Clemson undergraduate honors students (sophomore through seniors) elected from a list of predetermined options. This course focused on reading and analyzing various social constructs presented within young adult literature (i.e., adolescence, race/ethnicity, and nonconforming sexual orientation or gender.) Students read four required YA novels (House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, The Good Braider by Terry Farish, and If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan) and then chose five additional YA novels from provided lists, focusing on identifying, understanding, and disrupting social constructs. These books were chosen from professional organization reading lists or recommended by literacy experts and English language arts teachers and were organized by lenses to be studied and discussed. For instance, books with LatinX protagonists were organized in a list focusing on LatinX. For the Youth Lens, a list of random young adult literature was provided, while also allowing honors students to choose their own book, as this was the first lens discussed. Doctoral students presented each social construct through a relating lens, through PowerPoints, readings, and discussions based on examples and driving questions. At the end of the semester, students were asked to reflect on why young adult literature is important and valuable as well as books that were influential to their own growth. The following presents four responses from these students.
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Edwina Lewis (Sophomore, Bachelor of Science: General Engineering)
Young Adult Literature (YA Lit), covers a wide range much like other classifications of literature. However, YA Lit separates itself as it tends to center around a younger protagonist similar in age to its target audience. Because of this, young adult literature is characterized by how it addresses certain problems and situations that pertain mainly to teenagers. Through class discussion and articles read, I understood YA as having a young protagonist facing issues and concerns relatable to other teenagers. Usually, this leads YA Lit to center around that time of life which typically marks large amounts of change. In the end, Young Adult Literature focuses on what matters to teenagers which can range from small issues present in everyday life to a larger array of social problems present throughout all of society.
Young Adult Literature also proves its importance as it can be used to teach certain morals to younger generations. YA novels can be used to teach social responsibility to students and can be used to discuss moral dilemmas that are present today, which helps validate the point that YA Lit has merit even though it may not be considered a part of the canon. Thus, it becomes necessary for its ability to teach social responsibilities and its relevance to adolescents.
Young Adult Literature also proves its importance as it can be used to teach certain morals to younger generations. YA novels can be used to teach social responsibility to students and can be used to discuss moral dilemmas that are present today, which helps validate the point that YA Lit has merit even though it may not be considered a part of the canon. Thus, it becomes necessary for its ability to teach social responsibilities and its relevance to adolescents.
Morgan McManus (Junior, Bachelor of Science: Health Science)
| Throughout my semester in the Young Adult Literature course, I learned a lot about the importance of YAL in teaching everybody, not just students, about topics that may be difficult to discuss such as love, racism, and identity. One book that I would recommend is The Radius of Us, by Marie Marquardt which tackles the issue of immigration. The novel focuses on Phoenix who is an immigrant from El Salvador who crossed the border into the US as an 18 year old with his younger brother and sought asylum due to ongoing gang violence in their home country. They are separated, and his brother is traumatized by the journey and separation, so he stops speaking. Phoenix was arrested and had to go to court to be granted a stay in the US, but was denied. He fled the adults who were fostering him because he felt undeserving of the time, energy, and money they would need to invest to appeal the decision. Considering that immigration is such a controversial topic in the US, using this book as a gateway into the discussion would be great for high school and college students. |  |
From this book, I learned that crossing the border and having support of strangers do not ensure a fresh start as there are many personal issues that must be overcome to re-start their lives, and some people must do this while separated from family. Phoenix faced issues such as judgement and stereotyping, especially relating to his prior gang activity, without consideration of how he was forced into the gang as a 13 year-old boy and ran away with his brother as soon as something bad happened (torture of an opposing gang member). Even though the book was fiction, immigrants experience a lot of the same things which I think is important to discuss. I love that YAL has the ability to serve multiple purposes through books that can be read for pleasure or growth, so they foster a love for reading in students and that readers can become more culturally aware through the process.
Chelse VanAtter (Sophomore, Bachelor of Science: General Engineering)
I enjoyed reading young adult literature because it gave me characters I could either relate to or easily learn from. By seeing how characters in young adult literature develop their identities, young adult readers will have a better idea of how to formulate identities of their own. Even if they can’t connect to the ethnic, racial, cultural, gender, sexual, or other identities of characters in the literature, readers will learn how to understand people of different backgrounds which is so important for members of society today. Because many conflicts result from misunderstanding or misjudging another person, learning about different viewpoints at a young age will help people be more cultured and more respectful towards people who are different from them. Young adult literature is an important way to help youth think about problems in our society and instill the desire in them to want to change the way things are to make the world a better place.
I gained much more knowledge about different groups of people and the types of issues they face, such as stereotypes and generalizations. I learned a lot about racial and ethnic problems, LGBTQ problems, and adolescent problems in general. I have become more prepared to discuss these issue and conflicts with people after reading our YA books. I have also become more passionate about social justice and change.
I gained much more knowledge about different groups of people and the types of issues they face, such as stereotypes and generalizations. I learned a lot about racial and ethnic problems, LGBTQ problems, and adolescent problems in general. I have become more prepared to discuss these issue and conflicts with people after reading our YA books. I have also become more passionate about social justice and change.
| The book that was the most important and powerful for me was The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This book discussed so many relevant stereotypes and racial and ethnic issues in today's society. It provides different narratives regarding police intentions, good and bad, which is a topic I care a lot about since one of my best friends is the security resource officer from my high school. I really refined my beliefs and values after reading this book and more importantly, I learned how to stand up for my beliefs and values to enact change in society. I would recommend this book to everyone because if we all learn to value equality and share our values, we can reach a society where all people are truly equal. |  |
Tyler Piel (Sophomore, Bachelor of Science: General Engineering)
| This semester I have read a good deal of YA lit books for my literature class, and I found them all quite enjoyable. YA lit books have taught me a lot through their characters and my immersion into their stories. One of the books I learned the most from was Nic Stone's Dear Martin. The book tells the story of a young African American boy, Justyce McAllister, learning to cope with racial profiling and social racism by writing journal entries addressed to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ultimately, this novel provides great insight into the struggles of African American youth, combats social stereotypes, and captures the complexities of learning to grow up in a racist world. From the dynamic role of social class discussions about race to complex social situations, the reader has many opportunities to learn, understand, and empathize with this character as he struggles to endure implications racism and economic inequality have on his life and his aspirations for success. I would highly recommend this book to anyone hoping to learn and better understand the complexities of social racism and the struggles faced by African American youth. It is a great and educational novel through and through. |  |
Dr. Rachelle Savitz
For me, this was a unique experience. Most of the doctoral students were ones that took a Special Topics in Young Adult Literature with me last Spring, so it was nice to see them put their talents to use within this unique classroom setting. It was truly enlightening to see them engage non-education majors in discussions about “taboo” topics. It was also interesting to see the undergraduate students grow, not only through our class purpose of reading and analyzing YA, but personally. For instance, when first introduced to analyzing books through racial and ethnic stereotypes, students were hesitant to open up during discussion. They did not know each other, and they did not know us. As the semester went on, students started asking questions during discussions related to stereotypes, and how novels disrupted generalizations, often through the eyes of characters within the novels. Through their weekly responses, students would comment about not realizing how comments made, either by them or friends, could be misconstrued. In their final reflection, students commented about this being their favorite course. That they had signed up because they thought it may be an easy class or because they liked reading. However, many spoke about how life changing this course was and how they now understood the need to speak up and make changes for a more just and equal society. Although I had worried going in to this course, teaching non-education majors about YA, it was truly a rewarding experience for all involved.
Rachelle S. Savitz (Clemson University, Assistant Professor of Adolescent Literacy) and Donna Confere (Clemson, Doctoral Student)
Rachelle can be reached at: [email protected]
Until next week.
Rachelle can be reached at: [email protected]
Until next week.
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